Is Central High School a good school?

Central High School ranks 149 th of 697 Illinois high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Central High School?

In the 2022-23 school year, 1,597 students attended Central High School.

What is the racial makeup of Central High School?

Students at Central High School are 39% White, 27% African American, 18% Hispanic, 9% Asian, 7% Two or more races.

What schools feed into Central High School?

Central High School is fed by the following schools: Elementary : Bottenfield Elementary School Elementary : Carrie Busey Elementary School Elementary : Dr Howard Elementary School Elementary : Kenwood Elementary School Elementary : Robeson Elementary School Elementary : South Side Elementary School Elementary : Stratton Elementary School Elementary : Vernon L Barkstall Elementary School Elementary : Westview Elementary School Middle : Edison Middle School Middle : Franklin Middle School Middle : Jefferson Middle School

Central High School

Summary:

Central High School is a public high school located in Champaign, Illinois, serving grades 9-12 with a total enrollment of 1,597 students. The school is part of the Champaign CUSD 4 district, which is ranked 539 out of 813 districts in Illinois and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Central High School has consistently ranked in the top 20-25% of Illinois high schools over the past several years, with a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger. This places it significantly above the district's overall ranking and rating, indicating that Central High School is a relatively high-performing school within the Champaign CUSD 4 district. The school performs particularly well for certain student subgroups, such as White students and Special Education students, ranking in the top 10-15% of Illinois high schools for these groups. However, the school's performance for other subgroups, such as Hispanic and Multi-racial students, is more average or below average compared to the state. Central High School's test scores, particularly in SAT Mathematics and English Language Arts, are consistently higher than the district and state averages, with a significant gap in some years. The school's science proficiency rates on the ISA test are also above the district and state levels.

Comparing Central High School to nearby schools, Mahomet-Seymour High School, located in a different district, significantly outperforms Central High School in terms of statewide ranking, test scores, graduation rates, and other key indicators, suggesting a higher-performing school system. On the other hand, Urbana High School, located in the neighboring Urbana School District 116, performs notably worse than Central High School across most measures, highlighting the disparity in academic performance between the two districts. Central High School has also experienced a concerning increase in chronic absenteeism rates, rising from around 22% in 2019-2020 to over 50% in 2021-2022, which is significantly higher than the state average.

Detail:

Public 9-12

610 W University Ave
Champaign, IL 61820-3918

(217) 351-3914

District: Champaign CUSD 4

SchoolDigger Rank:
149^th of 697 Illinois High Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $17,216

Feeder schools for Central High School:

Elementary:	Bottenfield Elementary School
	Carrie Busey Elementary School
	Dr Howard Elementary School
	Kenwood Elementary School
	More...
	Robeson Elementary School
	South Side Elementary School
	Stratton Elementary School
	Vernon L Barkstall Elementary School
	Westview Elementary School
Middle:	Edison Middle School
	Franklin Middle School
	Jefferson Middle School

Student/teacher ratio: 14.7

Number of students: 1,597

Racial breakdown:

White:

38.6%

African American:

27.4%

Hispanic:

17.8%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 45.5%

See top rated Illinois high schools

Compare Central High School to nearby high schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Central High School ranks better than 78.6% of high schools in Illinois. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 72.75. (See more...)

The four-year cohort graduation rate measures the percentage of students at Central High School who earn a standard high school diploma within four years of starting ninth grade.

The high school dropout rate measures the percentage of students who do not complete their high school education.

Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

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Teachers

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Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Central High School is $17,216.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Central High School:

SchoolDigger ranks Central High School 149^th of 697 Illinois public high schools. (See Central High School in the ranking list.)

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Multi-racial students:

English Language Learner students:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Disabled students:

Male students:

Asian students:

African American students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

Champaign CUSD 4:

SchoolDigger ranks Champaign CUSD 4 539^th of 813 Illinois school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Central High School

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Rank History for all students at Central High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2003	72.66	145^th	586	75.3%
2004	66.35	206^th	592	65.2%
2005	58.85	273^rd	590	53.7%
2006	69.44	172^nd	596	71.1%
2007	62.27	238^th	612	61.1%
2008	61.59	267^th	624	57.2%
2009	62.73	257^th	632	59.3%
2010	49.10	391^st	643	39.2%
2011	54.95	333^rd	655	49.2%
2012	43.06	436^th	665	34.4%
2013	51.51	365^th	670	45.5%
2014	52.25	350^th	670	47.8%
2015	55.71	228^th	614	62.9%
2016	39.45	400^th	643	37.8%
2017	64.25	197^th	642	69.3%
2018	69.18	178^th	647	72.5%
2019	67.36	184^th	701	73.8%
2021	78.18	119^th	688	82.7%
2022	75.01	138^th	699	80.3%
2023	78.62	124^th	699	82.3%
2024	72.75	149^th	697	78.6%

See the entire list of Illinois High School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Central High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	66.63	51^st	154	66.9%
2019	37.60	96^th	165	41.8%
2021	44.51	80^th	160	50.0%
2022	49.53	86^th	170	49.4%
2023	46.63	83^rd	163	49.1%
2024	25.97	127^th	182	30.2%

See the entire list of Best Illinois High Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Central High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	50.56	41^st	151	72.8%
2019	34.20	114^th	183	37.7%
2021	49.21	60^th	189	68.3%
2022	62.79	40^th	205	80.5%
2023	23.07	201^st	217	7.4%
2024	53.33	72^nd	248	71.0%

See the entire list of Best Illinois High Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Central High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	57.69	92^nd	374	75.4%
2019	33.81	282^nd	473	40.4%
2021	76.94	51^st	453	88.7%
2022	55.03	124^th	493	74.8%
2023	91.60	43^rd	476	91.0%
2024	85.70	61^st	482	87.3%

See the entire list of Best Illinois High Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Central High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	37.94	383^rd	585	34.5%
2019	32.23	443^rd	639	30.7%
2021	24.12	484^th	611	20.8%
2022	43.63	348^th	626	44.4%
2023	49.62	292^nd	644	54.7%
2024	62.30	181^st	639	71.7%

See the entire list of Best Illinois High Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Central High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	71.01	164^th	620	73.5%
2019	65.47	200^th	665	69.9%
2021	79.20	117^th	639	81.7%
2022	74.70	139^th	658	78.9%
2023	78.32	119^th	656	81.9%
2024	64.66	194^th	664	70.8%

See the entire list of Best Illinois High Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Disabled students at Central High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	36.93	227^th	428	47.0%
2024	94.63	25^th	429	94.2%

See the entire list of Best Illinois High Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for Male students at Central High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	63.70	199^th	619	67.9%
2019	66.25	177^th	675	73.8%
2021	72.84	138^th	653	78.9%
2022	72.15	138^th	664	79.2%
2023	75.66	125^th	668	81.3%
2024	78.45	117^th	668	82.5%

See the entire list of Best Illinois High Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Asian students at Central High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	67.27	43^rd	132	67.4%
2019	61.02	55^th	130	57.7%
2021	63.70	49^th	135	63.7%
2022	87.15	15^th	141	89.4%
2023	69.73	42^nd	134	68.7%
2024	48.94	72^nd	137	47.4%

See the entire list of Best Illinois High Schools for Asian Students!

Rank History for African American students at Central High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	31.22	169^th	253	33.2%
2019	33.22	180^th	299	39.8%
2021	43.16	117^th	281	58.4%
2022	42.94	139^th	294	52.7%
2023	45.20	130^th	301	56.8%
2024	41.18	137^th	299	54.2%

See the entire list of Best Illinois High Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Central High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	39.84	168^th	291	42.3%
2019	34.55	203^rd	317	36.0%
2021	29.67	221^st	317	30.3%
2022	19.63	281^st	335	16.1%
2023	43.28	166^th	333	50.2%
2024	44.70	158^th	336	53.0%

See the entire list of Best Illinois High Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Central High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	IL State Percentile
2018	84.72	68^th	548	87.6%
2019	87.61	62^nd	552	88.8%
2021	92.66	51^st	553	90.8%
2022	84.67	71^st	560	87.3%
2023	91.70	36^th	557	93.5%
2024	90.88	52^nd	554	90.6%

See the entire list of Best Illinois High Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Illinois State Board of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: Illinois State Board of Education

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Enrollment information for Central High School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	763	338	33	14	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	1148
1989	773	310	40	11	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	1134
1990	718	335	38	11	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	1102
1991	717	319	36	14	0	n/a	n/a	0	1086
1992	702	308	33	19	1	n/a	n/a	0	1063
1993	683	315	40	13	2	n/a	n/a	0	1053
1994	733	338	51	13	2	n/a	n/a	0	1137
1995	788	323	51	8	2	n/a	n/a	0	1172
1996	788	323	51	8	2	n/a	n/a	0	1172
1997	823	364	55	15	3	n/a	n/a	0	1260
1998	800	323	47	21	2	n/a	n/a	0	1193
1999	826	354	40	30	1	n/a	n/a	0	1251
2000	845	345	44	26	1	n/a	n/a	0	1261
2001	851	359	62	30	1	n/a	n/a	0	1303
2002	792	388	69	48	0	n/a	n/a	0	1297
2003	792	388	69	48	0	n/a	n/a	0	1297
2004	769	439	67	68	0	n/a	n/a	0	1343
2005	757	455	69	69	3	n/a	n/a	0	1353
2006	685	507	72	63	7	n/a	n/a	0	1334
2007	644	514	73	67	8	n/a	n/a	0	1306
2008	622	484	60	68	7	n/a	n/a	0	1241
2009	598	526	63	77	3	n/a	n/a	2	1269
2010	567	511	80	97	5	n/a	n/a	0	1260
2011	536	445	88	104	5	2	54	0	1234
2012	541	418	99	112	5	1	39	0	1215
2013	588	400	102	123	5	0	46	0	1264
2014	580	366	87	113	8	2	33	0	1189
2015	571	358	90	112	9	2	43	0	1185
2016	560	358	89	146	6	1	57	0	1217
2017	568	351	86	170	5	2	53	0	1235
2018	580	349	98	170	4	1	80	0	1282
2019	570	343	105	191	7	2	73	0	1291
2020	575	350	102	217	2	0	80	0	1326
2021	599	404	116	221	2	2	108	0	1452
2022	602	449	116	273	4	1	110	0	1555
2023	616	438	136	285	5	2	115	0	1597

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Central High School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	1148	70.2	16.3	n/a
1989	1134	65.9	17.2	n/a
1990	1102	61.7	17.8	n/a
1991	1086	64.4	16.8	n/a
1992	1063	64.8	16.4	n/a
1993	1053	56.9	18.5	n/a
1994	1137	57.7	19.7	n/a
1995	1172	71.5	16.4	n/a
1996	1172	71.5	16.4	n/a
1997	1260	72.1	17.5	n/a
1998	1193	75.3	15.8	n/a
1999	1251	74.9	16.7	n/a
2000	1261	79.4	15.9	n/a
2001	1303	76.8	17.0	n/a
2002	1297	81.9	15.8	24.3
2003	1297	81.9	15.8	24.3
2004	1343	82.6	16.3	28.4
2005	1353	92.6	14.6	31.5
2006	1334	86.2	15.5	40.1
2007	1306	90.0	14.5	39.4
2008	1241	74.0	16.8	44.2
2009	1269	90.6	14.0	42.1
2010	1260	88.1	14.3	63.6
2011	1234	89.1	13.8	50.7
2012	1215	87.0	13.9	52.3
2013	1264	127.4	9.9	49.5
2014	1189	95.3	12.4	46.6
2015	1185	97.0	12.2	48.3
2016	1217	100.0	12.1	46.3
2017	1235	96.8	12.7	46.4
2018	1282	99.1	12.9	46.6
2019	1291	97.1	13.2	47.9
2020	1326	99.1	13.3	49.2
2021	1452	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	1555	104.7	14.8	38.3
2023	1597	108.5	14.7	45.5

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Central High School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	1148	70.2	16.3	n/a
1989	1134	65.9	17.2	n/a
1990	1102	61.7	17.8	n/a
1991	1086	64.4	16.8	n/a
1992	1063	64.8	16.4	n/a
1993	1053	56.9	18.5	n/a
1994	1137	57.7	19.7	n/a
1995	1172	71.5	16.4	n/a
1996	1172	71.5	16.4	n/a
1997	1260	72.1	17.5	n/a
1998	1193	75.3	15.8	n/a
1999	1251	74.9	16.7	n/a
2000	1261	79.4	15.9	n/a
2001	1303	76.8	17.0	n/a
2002	1297	81.9	15.8	24.3
2003	1297	81.9	15.8	24.3
2004	1343	82.6	16.3	28.4
2005	1353	92.6	14.6	31.5
2006	1334	86.2	15.5	40.1
2007	1306	90.0	14.5	39.4
2008	1241	74.0	16.8	44.2
2009	1269	90.6	14.0	42.1
2010	1260	88.1	14.3	63.6
2011	1234	89.1	13.8	50.7
2012	1215	87.0	13.9	52.3
2013	1264	127.4	9.9	49.5
2014	1189	95.3	12.4	46.6
2015	1185	97.0	12.2	48.3
2016	1217	100.0	12.1	46.3
2017	1235	96.8	12.7	46.4
2018	1282	99.1	12.9	46.6
2019	1291	97.1	13.2	47.9
2020	1326	99.1	13.3	49.2
2021	1452	n/a	n/a	n/a
2022	1555	104.7	14.8	38.3
2023	1597	108.5	14.7	45.5

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

Immunization Rates